Archive for the 'religion' Category

“I think the trouble with being a critical thinker or an atheist, or a humanist is that you’re right. And it’s quite hard being right in the face of people who are wrong without sounding like a fuckwit. People go: ‘do you think the vast majority of the world is wrong’, well yes, I don’t know how to say that nicely, but yes.”

Now, if god listens to anybody, surely his infallible representative on earth must have the best chance. So when Alitalia goes bust, as it inevitably will, there will be indisputable proof that prayer doesn’t work.

Saturday morning: I was sat at home alone when I spotted the usual smartly dressed family groups wandering up and down the street carrying briefcases. Hooray! Religious nutters coming to call. I really enjoy talking to these poor people and trying to shine the light of reason into their deluded minds.

A young lad was standing by the door, waiting for his partner to arrive. I girded my loins whilst externally adopting a casual air of pretending not to have noticed. And then he was called away! I was left untouched by their attempts at conversion. I was really disappointed. Perhaps I managed to get the young girl who I chased after last time* to see sense and denounce creationism, and they fear for their membership. I wonder if I’m on a list? I’d like to think so.

*She said there was nothing I could say to change her mind about evolution, but I hadn’t been completely awake when the doorbell had rung. Only as I shut the door did MRSA occur to me as a nice example, so when they later walked back up the street I stepped out and carried on the conversation. They withdrew.

At first it made me angry, both at the Church of England for complaining and the BBC for running the story without checking any of the facts:

– the Bishop says “hundreds of people are gunned down in the cathedral”You shoot aliens. Most of them are giant scorpion-like leapers. You don’t even shoot hundreds of them.

– “gun culture” is being promoted to “kids”The game has a 15 certificate. No kids allowed.

– Sony didn’t ask permissionTo use a medieval building? I don’t think the architect would mind.

– “a virtual cathedral – identical to Manchester Cathedral”Except for half the tower being missing, a big hole in the back wall, it being used as a field hospital and being infested by aliens.

– constant reference to Sony as the creator of the gameResistance: Fall of Man was written by Insomniac Games in Burbank, California. It’s amazing enough that they even know there is a cathedral in Manchester.

Then add to that a big helping of hypocrisy when it appeared that the church just wanted money – “a substantial donation – otherwise it will consider legal action.” Turn the other cheek, eh?

Now it amuses me. I suppose, if you have a big invisible friend whispering in your ear, it is very easy to get confused between real life and saving the world from an alien invasion in an alternative 1950s version of England.

Disclosure: I have a PS3 and a copy of the game. I gave the cathedral setting (maybe 10 minutes in 6 or 7 hours of play) less thought than I did the bus depot in York. Until now.